10 Aug 10 First Teddie Bear Astronauts Conquer Space [Space]

Yesterday the Japanese announced the first space beer. Now the British are claiming the first teddy bear astronauts, who were photographed in space from a home-made vessel with two digital cameras, a flight computer, GPS, and radio.

The four cuddly astronauts travelled on board the spacecraft for two hours and nine minutes, reaching the 19 miles high mark powered by a latex weather ballon made by the Space Flight club at Cambridge University. They were wearing special suits made by school children, which saved them from freezing at -63.4º F. No, I'm not kidding. The team was investigating what materials would protect the furrynauts better.

If you haven't melted by now, you are not human. And NASA, wake up and smell the coffee. We are losing another space race here. [Daily Mail]

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04 Sep 10 Cambridge scientists develop lower-than-low power WORM memory

Researchers at Cambridge University have recently published a paper on their new type of WORM (write once read many) memory which is even more low powered than the ones that came before it. The new electron-only design of the memory is solution processed, making it low cost as well as it requires no lithography. The device, using ZnO semiconductor nanoparticles to inject electrons into a polymer which is capable of conducting. The electrons are then used to program the memory by permanently lowering the conductivity of the polymer, producing insulation. This result is far lower power densities than previously recorded, by orders of magnitude. The research team believes that it can make further improvements to the device as they continue to work.

Cambridge scientists develop lower-than-low power WORM memory originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 18:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tagi: cambridge scientists, power worm, power densities, engadget, orders of magnitude, fri, cambridge university, nanoparticles, lithography, polymer, nbsp, improvements, memory